MLIS Data Coordination Associate Job Post at Evidence Action in Kisumu Kenya 18th October 2014
Vacancy: MLIS – Associate Data Coordination
Deadline to Apply: Rolling Basis
Start Date: End of October, 2014
Reporting To: Senior Associate MLIS – Programming and Data Management
Location: Kisumu, Kenya with domestic travels
About Evidence Action: Evidence Action scales proven interventions that improve the lives of millions. We implement cost-effective interventions whose efficacy is backed by substantial rigorous evidence.
Evidence Action identifies innovative, appropriate financing mechanisms and builds best practice operational models. We voraciously self-evaluate, learn, and improve our models for scaling with a commitment to transparency on progress, impact, and value for money.
Our current flagship programs include:
- Dispensers for Safe Water is an entrepreneurial program scaling the chlorine dispenser system – a proven innovation that dramatically expands access to water treatment at an extremely low cost.
- Deworm the World Initiative actively supports the scale-up of school-based deworming programs worldwide to improve children’s health, education, and long-term development.
About Monitoring Learning and Information Systems (MLIS) Team
The MLIS team embodies the evidence-based nature of Evidence Action’s work and enables us to be a data-driven organization.
The team provides services across Evidence Action Africa region in meeting the following outcomes:
- All ongoing program monitoring needs met (including M&E design and quality data collection)
- Programs delivered with access to timely and useful data for day-to-day programmatic planning and decision making
- Analysis and research conducted to support program improvements (including operation research, market research and cost-efficiency analysis)
- Support with timely, useful and clear information for evidence-based decision making (including provide support to connect the dots)
- Support provided to regional leadership for new programs and partnerships for exploration and evaluation
- Standards, systems and processes setup for delivery of all functions (monitoring, analysis, research, information systems and quality data)
The MLIS team works towards these outcomes through four sub-teams that work closely together to deliver quality, timely and useful information:
- Learning and Communication (L&C): This team is responsible for supporting the program teams with timely information in innovative, useful and clear ways to translate analysis and research to evidence-based decision making and action.
- Monitoring, Analysis and Research (MAR): This team is responsible for ensuring that all ongoing program monitoring needs are met and analysis and research is conducted to support program improvements.
- Management Information Systems (MIS): This team is be responsible for ensuring that the all programs have access to timely and useful data for day-to-day programmatic planning and decision making through a cloud-based multi-user system.
- Data Quality and Management (DQM): This team is responsible for ensuring access to quality and timely data to meet all ongoing program needs; including monitoring, information systems and analysis and research.
About the Position: Associate – Data Collation and Entry
The Associate – Data Coordination is a member of the DQM sub-team and the larger MLIS team, and is responsible for timely data collation and for the management of data entry across Kenyan programs.
Goals and Responsibilities
Manage Instrument Programming:
- Support the development of interfaces for data entry and manage data entry vendors and process, and make sure the process is done as per the agreed upon timelines,
- Support development and updating of standardized data collection instruments; for electronic data collection (ODK), phone survey.
- Support in the exploration and research new electronic data collection programs and platform as necessary
Manage Data Entry and Management:
- Work closely with the data collection team to ensure that hard-copies are stored safely in a secure, well-organized, and well-documented repository, and the scanned paper data, where applicable, is stored safely
- Coordinate data entry process of all paper data in accordance with data entry protocols
- Conduct discrepancy checks between data entry records, perform error checks and other data quality checks on the entered data
- Develop and implement a robust system of tracking entered data versus yet-to-be entered data.
- Handle and take responsibility of all equipment used for data entry, including laptops, tablets, flash drives etc
- Keep track of any recurring data quality issues arising from the exercising with a viewing of informing when re-training is needed.
- Instantly make available entered data for further processing and use by the data team.
- Timely, attend to other data needs and requests on the MLIS team as needed and asked by his/her supervisor
Team Management
- Assemble a team for data entry casual and keep Senior Associate PDM on the need to adjust the size of the team as needed.
- On day to day basis supervise the team of data entry casuals, including, with guidance from Senior Associate PDM process payment for work done.
Qualifications, Experience and Skills
- Minimum Bachelor’s degree in economics, statistics or another quantitative field
- Minimum of 1 year of experience in quantitative/qualitative research methods and data management, preferably with large (many observations and many variables) and/or complex datasets (many inter-related variables)
- Experience with mobile phone survey programming in Open Data Kit, and willing to quickly learn and explore other survey programming language.
- Familiarity with data entry interfaces such as CSPro and Access.
- Experience with statistical software packages such as Stata (strongly preferred) and Excel etc., and with the ability to learn and adapt to new programs.
- Strong interpersonal and communications skills to work effectively with a team that is geographically dispersed.
- Self-directed/self-motivating personality, with proven ability to manage demands from multiple supervisors while adhering to program deadlines and priorities.
- Strong critical and analytical thinking skills
- Intellectual flexibility and willingness to form and adjust opinions based on evidence
- Quick to learn, motivated to self-teach and capable of independently translating new knowledge into practice
To Apply:
Please email your CV and application letter to copy Kenyajobs@evidenceaction.org with the subject line “Associate – Data Coordination.”
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted by phone and email for an interview.
Applicants are encouraged to apply early, as applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
The Organisation is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE), adhering to the laws that prohibit discrimination in the terms and conditions of employment.
he Organisation’s HR policy provides equal employment, volunteer, and service opportunities to all qualified persons without regard to race, color, national origin or ancestry, religion, creed, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identification, marital status, veteran status, disability (including HIV/AIDS), or any other status protected by applicable law.